US “secretly shipped” $400 million it owed to Iran before release of four hostages

"A cargo plane with $400 million in foreign currencies was secretly sent to Iran on the same day four Americans were released from Tehran, according to a WSJ report citing EU and US officials. Washington insists the timing of the two events is coincidence. ... The major transfer was the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement that the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a failed 1979 arms deal, WSJ said, adding that the settlement 'coincided' with the formal implementation of the unprecedented nuclear agreement reached between Tehran, Washington and other world powers in July 2015. The Iranians demanded the return of $400 million the government of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi deposited into a Pentagon trust fund 36 years ago to purchase US fighter jets, US officials told the Journal." (08/03/16)